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ODOT To Roll-Out 2011 Construction Projects

Construction season kicks-off this week

COLUMBUS (Monday, April 11, 2011) – Working to deliver the biggest bang for Ohio’s dollars, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is ready to begin construction on nearly 700 projects statewide.

"Ohioans deserve a reliable and predictable construction program which provides them with the highest value for their investments," said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. "This year, we will deliver just that."

Of ODOT’s nearly 700 projects scheduled to begin this year, 250 will be devoted to bridge maintenance and replacement, 200 to reconstruction and widening, and 150 to paving. Projects adding new lanes and general maintenance projects make up the difference.

New this year, work will begin on two of the Department’s largest-ever Design-Build projects—the I-90 westbound Innerbelt Bridge in downtown Cleveland and the I-71/I-670 Interchange in downtown Columbus. While work is already underway on the I-90 bridge, construction will not begin on the I-71/I-670 project until later this year.

Design-Build projects are designed and constructed under one contract speeding construction, lowering costs, improving quality control, and lessening the impact on the traveling public.

Around the state, work will continue on the I-71 Jeremiah Morrow Bridge—Ohio’s tallest bridge—near Lebanon, the Nelsonville Bypass, the I-75 Modernization Project through downtown Dayton, and the U.S 24 Fort-to-Port in Napoleon and near Toledo.

Motorists should use caution as they navigate through the hundreds of construction work zones this year. In a report just released by ODOT, data shows there were 5,038 crashes in work zones last year resulting in 1,909 injuries and 12 fatalities.

The top three causes of work zone crashes can be prevented. They include following too closely, failure to control, and improper lane changes.

For up-to-the-minute road conditions and details on highway construction projects in every area of the state, visit ODOT’s premier website www.BuckeyeTraffic.org.